


My Neighbor Markiplier

by McKManiac



Category: Markiplier x Reader - Fandom, Youtubers, mark fishbach - Fandom, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-21
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-10 06:42:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7834201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McKManiac/pseuds/McKManiac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You've always dreamed of moving to California. The idea of living in a place completely different from your small town in Maine just seemed like such an exciting adventure! But when you and your best friend get to your new shared home, someone unexpected visits. <br/>Rated purely because I'm not sure where this is going. I'm not a fan of graphic sex scenes, so probably nothing like that. I chose depictions of violence because this story is based purely on my life, and there may be some mentions of self harm/panic disorder/depression/anxiety that some may find triggering. Also **LANGUAGE WARNING**</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Alright, that’s the last box!” You shouted out the front door to your new apartment. Your best friend, Elsie walked through the door and shut it behind her with a sense of finality.  
“I can’t believe we made it all the way to California!” She exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement. “I know we talked about it a lot, but I never expected it to actually happen!” You nodded in agreement.  
“Me neither! Though I will admit, I’m super nervous about living in such a big city. I’m used to having barely any neighbors for miles around. Things in L.A. are completely different.” Elsie nodded, putting a reassuring hand on your shoulder.  
“As long as we use common sense, we’ve got nothing to fear!” She replied enthusiastically, “now, let’s get to unpacking all of this shit. Then maybe this place will feel more like home.” She said with a smile. You nodded and grinned in reply, whipping out a wireless speaker and turning on a playlist of your favorite music. Elsie laughed.  
“Turn it up, this shit is awesome!” You laughed in reply, and turned the volume on full blast, singing along to the words of “Clint Eastwood” by Gorillaz. You both knew every word, even the rapping parts. It helped pass the time as you unpacked the sea of boxes taking up all of the floor space around you.  
It took several hours, lots of grunting and shouting, but eventually your new apartment together was finished. All of the boxes sat just outside the front door, waiting to be taken away by the garbage man in the morning. You flopped on the couch with an exhausted sigh, taking a swig from a bottle of water you’d kept sitting on the kitchen counter. “Fuck, Elsie, that took WAY longer than I thought it would!” Elsie nodded in agreement, “I know, we brought a lot more shit along than I thought…” You laughed, reaching over and throwing on one of your favorite spirithoods, your galaxy wolf. “It doesn’t help that between the two of us, three boxes were taken up by these hats!” You laughed, making a silly face. Elsie grabbed one of her spirithoods, a rainbow wolf, and laughed in reply. “You know neither of us could last a day without them!”  
“Amen to that!” You grinned, reaching your hand into a bag of peanuts. You both munched and scrolled through facebook for a while, before you logged on to twitter and saw something that made your eyes light up. “ELSIE!” You shouted, making her jump nearly a foot into the air. “WHAT!” She yelled, a little bit irritated. You could care less though; you were way too excited. “Look at what markiplier just posted on twitter!” You cried, thrusting your phone into her face. She skimmed the page for a second, before gasping and letting her mouth hang open in shock. The post in question was a picture of your favorite youtuber, walking down the street that you two had just moved to! You leaned close to her, whispering, as if fearing that someone might hear you.  
“…What if he’s outside our building RIGHT NOW?” You said, your voice rising an octave with each syllable. Elsie shook her head. “There’s no way. That picture was taken a while ago, cause the sun’s out.” She said, motioning towards the darkened windows of the apartment. You sighed, defeated, sinking back into the couch. “You’re probably right. Not to mention, what are the odds of running into him anyways?” You scoffed, secretly hoping that one of these days you would meet that handsome man. After a few more minutes of laughing at internet memes, you yawned and stretched, realizing just how tired you were after driving for a week and moving furniture around all day.  
“I think I’m gonna go to bed.” You yawned, slowly rising from the couch and shuffling upstairs to your new bedroom. “See you in the morning, roommate!” You grinned, relishing the reality of getting to live with your best friend. Elsie grunted in agreement, seemingly fixated on her phone. You walked upstairs and opened the door to your room, flipping a light switch. A yellow-ish glow illuminated the space, and you looked around in wonder. All of the things you had in your own bedroom at your parent’s house were here, including your monstrous CD collection of over 200 discs, your favorite books, a TV and PS2, tons of games to play…it all seemed so familiar, but in this space, it was a bit unsettling. You’d hung up a few of your favorite posters as well to make it seem more like home, but it was nothing compared to the collage of artwork you’d hung in your old room. The only ones you kept were one Elsie had made of all your favorite video game characters, two anime posters, and one of Marty mcfly from back to the future.  
Other than that, the walls were blank, painted a grey-blue color. The wooden floors creaked under you as you walked to the bed, pulling aside your turquoise comforter. You had bought a new bed in L.A. so you could sleep in a queen instead of a twin-sized, and had found the perfect bedspread to go along with it in your favorite color. A matching rug laid on the floor, and curtains covered two small windows that faced the street. It was strange since in your old room, there was one big window taking up one wall. You also had a desk where your laptop and stereo took up residence, and a big shelf filled with books and nerdy stuffed animals like totoro, pokemon, and adventure time characters. You also had a bathroom all to yourself decorated with a doctor who TARDIS shower curtain, and other accessories in the same color.  
Flipping off the light, you rolled into bed and slid your headphones on, listening to “The One” by a band called Kodaline. The soft music eventually lulled you to sleep, as you dreamt of meeting markiplier, the cutest youtuber ever.

You stretched open your eyes, blearily taking in your surroundings. Where the fuck am I? You wondered, before remembering; you had an apartment now! You swung your legs over the side of the bed, sinking into the plush area rug, and walked downstairs with your phone in hand. You made breakfast, which consisted of a toasted bagel and cream cheese, and sat on the couch munching as you scrolled through all of your social media accounts. Your mom had sent you a message, reminding her how much she loved and missed you. You smiled, thinking of what life back home must be like right now. Your small town life in Maine was hundreds of miles away, and you couldn’t help but feel a little homesick knowing it would be some time before you got to see it again.  
But think of all the exciting adventures you’ll have out here in the meantime! You thought to yourself, smiling at the thought. You finished breakfast, and made your way back upstairs. You made your bed and made sure everything was neat and tidy before hopping in the shower. You couldn’t help but hum to yourself a bit while the hot water ran in your hair and down your back, and steam filled your lungs. Turning off the water, you dried off and wrapped yourself in a towel, then brushed your teeth and short, brown hair. A knock on your bedroom door startled you out of your trance.  
“McKenzie!” Elsie called, “There’s someone at the door! Could you go answer it? I haven’t showered yet!” You groaned and yelled back, “sure! Just give me a second!” You carefully removed your towel and switched to a plain blue robe, tying the strings together before making your way downstairs. The thought did cross your mind that it was strange someone would be visiting since it was only your first day living here, but you figured it must be the mailman or something. You decided against looking through the peephole, and instead opened the door carefully and exclaimed, “hi, can I help y-“ But you stopped in your tracks. Standing on your doorstep, one arm raised to scratch his ear, black and red hair moving softly in the breeze, looking at you through glasses with big brown eyes, was someone you never thought in a million years you would ever get to see in person.  
Fucking.  
Markiplier.  
MARK. FISCHBACH.  
WAS ON YOUR DOORSTEP.  
You stared for a second, before averting your gaze and nervously biting your lip. Mark’s eyes went down to your feet, which of course were bare, and back up to your face. You realized with a sense of dread the state you were in, with nothing but a single article of clothing tied by a string keeping THE MARKIPLIER from seeing EVERY SINGLE INCH of your naked body. You awkwardly crossed your arms and waited for something, ANYTHING to happen. Finally, after shaking himself from his state of shock, Mark grinned shyly and spoke.  
“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t realize it was a bad time. I can come back later if you want…” You stood for a second, not completely digesting what was happening right in front of you. Then you replied, “oh, no, it's okay. I just wasn’t really expecting YOU of all people to show up on my front porch!” Mark grinned, “oh, so you’re a fan of mine then?” You nodded slowly, still trying desperately not to blush. You bit your lip before exclaiming, “you know what, come on in. I’m gonna run upstairs real quick. Feel free to sit on the couch or whatever.” Your voice shook a bit, and as soon as the door closed you ran upstairs, practically slamming your bedroom door behind you.  
Is this a dream? Am I dead? WHAT THE FUCK DO I DO?? Fucking MARKIPLIER is in my HOUSE!” Your subconscious was going absolutely nuts, but luckily you reined it in and managed to get dressed. You threw on a pair of jeans, a black pullover hoodie, and brushed your hair one more time before taking a deep breath, and walking back downstairs. You peeked around the corner, seeing Mark’s bright red hair just above the back of the couch. He seemed to be looking around, admiring the room. You inhaled deeply before slowly making your way to the other end of the sofa, sitting down carefully even though your insides were churning. After several moments of awkward silence, you took a breath to speak.  
“Sorry about…all of that.” You mumbled, reaching up to toy with the charm on your necklace. Mark smiled and replied, “what is there to be sorry for? How could you have known I would be the one to be at your front door?” Even though he seemed fairly confident, Mark reached up and rubbed the back of his neck; a sure sign of being uncomfortable. “Anyways, I mostly came by to greet my new neighbors!” That last part almost made you stop breathing altogether, your mind focusing after several moments. “You…you live in the same building as us?” You said stupidly, still in a state of shock. Mark nodded enthusiastically. “Hopefully you guys aren’t bothered by all of my screaming; I can get pretty tense when I play games!” He laughed lightly, the sound of it echoing throughout the room. A wide smile spread slowly across your face as you thought to yourself, that’s it. I’m definitely dead and this is heaven. MARKIPLIER IS MY FUCKING NEIGHBOR!  
You laughed and replied, “not at all. We usually have our music up so loud we can’t hear a thing!” Mark grinned before asking, “so, where’d you guys move from?” You glanced at him, seeing his eyes staring right back at you, waiting for you to respond. You swallowed hard, trying to disguise how nervous you were. “We’re originally from Maine. Well, I am anyways. My friend Elsie was born in Utah, then her family moved to Maine, and we moved out here together.” Mark nodded thoughtfully.  
“Why L.A. though? That seems like a big change compared to the northeast.” He chuckled.  
You nodded, “definitely. I was super fucking nervous about moving to one of the most populated cities in the US, but I guess that’s kind of the point. I want to explore parts of the world I haven’t seen yet before settling down, and what better way to do that than by living there?” You smiled, “not to mention…California has a lot more to explore as far as culture goes. There’s so many conventions, parades…all sorts of shit! Plus, it’s where all of the most famous youtubers seem to live…” You trailed off slowly, daring to look at Mark again. Thankfully, he was smiling, the edges of his eyes crinkled like they do when he’s especially happy.  
“Ah, so you did it to stalk us, eh?” You felt your cheeks start to burn, and you rubbed your shoulder nervously. You shook yourself before replying, “yeah totally. I was hoping to get a lock of markiplier’s hair for my collection!” Mark gave you a horrified look, before bursting into a fit of laughter. After settling down, you looked at Mark again, still completely in awe of the fact that he was sitting RIGHT THERE in your very own apartment. It was then, that your best friend walked down the stairs, dressed and brushing her wet hair.  
“Hey McKenzie, have you seen my phone charger anywhere aro-…” She stopped mid-sentence when she made eye contact with the man sitting on the couch next to you. He gave a tiny wave and said, “hello, you must be the roommate McKenzie was just telling me about! I’m…”  
“Markiplier?” Elsie asked, brush still in hand, mouth hanging open.  
“Yeah, him!” Mark laughed, “I assume you’re a fan of mine too?” Elsie nodded slightly, shutting her mouth before giving you a look that said, “we need to talk, NOW.” You turned to Mark and said, “could you give us just a minute? Feel free to use the wi-fi or TV or anything. Bathroom’s down the hall to the right. We’ll be right back!” You got up from the couch and followed Elsie into the kitchen. She closed the door behind you and cried out, “WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME FUCKING MARKIPLIER WAS IN OUR APARTMENT?” You held your hands up as if to say ‘please don’t kill me!’  
“Look, I had no idea Mark was going to even be near us! It turns out, he’s our NEIGHBOR.” Elsie shook her head after a moment. “He’s…He’s our…. our…”  
“YES!” You exclaimed, arms punching the air with double fists. Elsie thought for a moment before lifting a finger, “do you think he could get me into the Game Grump’s HQ?” You laughed, thinking just how typical it was that Elsie would be thinking of the Game Grumps at a time like this. “There’s no harm in trying, is there? But first, let’s try not to come off as adoring fans. My dreams of being best friends with markiplier are so close to coming true I can practically TASTE it!” Elsie nodded, clearly upset that she’d have to wait to meet Arin and Dan in person. You opened the door to the living room, expecting to see Mark still on the couch, but he was nowhere to be found. You did notice a light shining from the couch cushions- his cell phone. It was locked, but his text notifications popped up, one person named Matt saying, “ooh, you think you may have found yourself a girl?” You quickly averted your gaze, hearing footsteps coming down the hall. You sat on the couch and whipped out your own phone to avoid suspicion, but Mark looked unconcerned. When he saw his phone, he grabbed it and exclaimed, “I swear that was in my pocket a second ago!” For a second, you thought you saw a hint of a blush on his cheeks, but it was gone before you could contemplate further. “Hey uh, did you wanna give me your number? We could chat sometime.” You nodded slowly, in order to avoid suspicion. You typed your number into his phone, as well as your name, then took a cute picture of yourself before handing it back to him.   
A few moments passed before you piped up, “so, did you want to stay for dinner, or watch Netflix or something?” Mark looked at you, his eyes lighting up, then suddenly glancing down to his lit up phone. He looked at it, scanning something with his eyes before replying, “that sounds awesome, but Matt just messaged me and said I should come home right now. Something important I guess.” He shrugged, standing up. You stood up with him, realizing just how close your bodies were to each other. Mark cleared his throat before speaking. “Thanks for having me. If you wanna hang out sometime, I live in apartment 112. Come by anytime!” He smiled, “I’ll see you later!” You smiled back, giving a tiny wave. “See you, Mark. It was awesome to finally get to meet you in person!” He grinned before turning to exit and walk up the nearby stairwell just down the hall. You slowly shut the door, your heart fluttering in your chest. IS THIS REAL LIFE? Your subconscious screamed. Your friend Elsie turned the corner to see you all doe-eyed. She grinned before chiding, “so he used the bathroom here right? That means MARKIPLIER’S ASS touched our toilet seat!”


	2. Into the Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark left in a bit of a hurry. Does this mean a possible friendship is off the table?

What the fuck is wrong with me? Mark thought to himself, walking back up the stairs to his apartment. Matt hadn't actually texted him to come home; something just made him panic and he had to leave. He couldn't explain it, but that girl made him feel something he never thought he would again. Time and time again, he'd told his fans he wasn't looking for a girlfriend, wasn't interested in dating right now- hell he even told his mom AND stepmom he wasn't planning on having kids for like ten years, if at all. Apparently fate had other ideas, and he felt awfully light and happy, like he could conquer anything. He felt his pockets for his keys, and panicked when he could find only his phone. He grumbled to himself before knocking on the door, thankful when Ryan opened it up with a flourish.  
"SOOO," Ryan drawled, "I hear you got yourself a girl?" He grinned, patting Mark on the back. "I always knew you had it in ya!" Mark shrugged him off and walked into the living room, sitting on the couch. "I don't have a girl, you dumbass. I just went to see our new neighbors!"  
"She was hot, right?" Ryan grinned cockily. Mark hesitated for a moment, "not hot. Beautiful. To other people she may just be average, but to me she is absolutely gorgeous. GODDAMMIT WHY DO I FEEL THIS WAY." Mark threw his hands up in the air helplessly. Ryan smiled sincerely and replied, “dude, just ask her out. Girls love it when you’re forward and confident!” Mark raised one hand to rub the back of his neck.   
“But that’s the thing! Normally, I AM confident, but for some weird reason whenever I see her it just...takes my breath away.” His voice faltered near the end of his sentence before he buried his face in his hands. “I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable either. I mean, for christ’s sake she just moved here from thousands of miles away! What if she sees me as nothing more than some goof on the internet?” Ryan shrugged, cocking an eyebrow.   
“Well, to be fair...you kind of ARE a goof on the internet.” Mark sighed, “yeah, I know…I just wish someone would see me as more than that.” He stopped for a moment, before being startled by a sudden burst of sound from his phone. He looked at the screen, his heart jumping to his throat when he saw who it was. “MCKENZIE.” He swiped the screen and scrolled through to his messages, where he found one waiting for him. 

 

Hey! I’m sorry if it’s a bit soon to be messaging you, but you left your keys in my apartment, and I wanted to be sure you knew where they were. I can drop them off for you if you’d like? :) 

It took Mark a second to realize he was smiling, just imagining her being all flustered and unsure of what to do made his heart soar. He hesitated a moment before replying.

No worries! Ryan let me in, so I’ll come and grab my keys from you later today :p 

Mark’s finger hovered over the send button before pressing it, heaving a deep sigh. What if he was too forward? Or worse...what if he was too blunt? Does she even want to hang out again after the way he ran out on her like that? Shaking his head, Mark looked to the floor, seeing that Chica had made her way into the living room and had rested her head on the top of his right foot. He smiled, leaning down to ruffle the fur behind her ears. “At least I know one girl who loves me,” he smiled. 

 

You were in the living room, playing a competitive match of Overwatch when you heard another knock on the door. You rolled your eyes before shouting, “ELSIE! Can you get that? I’m kinda in the middle of a match here!” Elsie came down the stairs grumbling to herself before yanking open the front door. “Oh, back so soon?” She inquired, laughing lightly before raising her voice again, “MCKENZIE SOMEONE’S HERE TO SEE YOU.” You cried out angrily as the bright red DEFEAT played across your screen, previewing the highlight of your team getting their asses kicked by ANOTHER camping Bastion. You exited the game and shut your computer before jumping up, just in time to see Mark walk through the hallway into the living room.   
“Another loss, huh?” He asked, crossing his arms knowingly. “I went down three rankings in one afternoon. Sometimes the matchups are just absolute bullshit!” You laughed lightly, nodding.   
“You know it! Like, what the fuck are a bunch of level thirty-somethings supposed to do against those over a hundred?” Mark chuckled, the sound echoing throughout the room. Elsie had apparently retreated back upstairs to skype with her boyfriend Jimmy, leaving you alone with Mark. You cleared your throat awkwardly, before jumping up to grab Mark’s keys from the coffee table. “I assume you’re here for these?” Mark shrugged before reaching to take his keys from you.   
“Well, I also wanted to um...apologize.” You gazed at him incredulously, “what for?” Mark glanced at your face, his eyebrows creased. “I didn’t mean to walk out on you like that earlier. If your offer still stands, I wouldn’t mind hanging out sometime? We could do something tomorrow if you’d like?” He smiled hopefully, his eyes boring into you in a way that no one had ever looked at you before. You couldn’t quite explain it, but there were definitely butterflies fluttering in your stomach. You nodded eagerly, “of course! We can just hang out and play games, or watch netflix...whatever you want!” Mark beamed at you, “great! Does around two sound okay?” You grinned, “sounds perfect! Gives me time to sleep until noon.” You laughed. Mark laughed too before inching towards the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”   
“Yes...definitely.” You smiled, waving as Mark closed the door behind him. You resumed your place on the couch, but left your laptop untouched. Your phone suddenly vibrated in your pocket, a message popping up from MARK. All it read was a smiley face. You responded with a winky face before tossing your phone on the couch and lying back to look at the ceiling.   
…  
…  
Wait.   
…  
Did Markiplier just ask me on a date?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that the next chapters likely won't be quite as long as the first. I'll try my best to make them a decent length :) let me know what you think so far, and if you'd like me to keep going. I know fics that get really specific aren't always interesting, but I thought others might appreciate this :)


	3. Scattered Acorns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark asked you to hang out! Is it a date? Is it the beginning of something new?

You brushed your wet hair furiously, pulling it back into a tight ponytail. The pieces leftover around your face refused to cooperate, which only made you even more upset. This was the first time ever you’d be hanging out with a guy, (well, a heterosexual guy anyways) and you did NOT want to be having a bad hair day! Fixing your hair as best you could, you threw on a pair of loose sweatpants, your university hoodie, and a pair of rainbow socks. You figured it wasn’t worth getting all dressed up since you were just going to be gaming all day anyways! Walking downstairs, you glanced at the clock on your phone; 1:32. Thankfully, you were early for once. Elsie had gone to get food for the evening, promising she would give you plenty of “alone time” with Mark. You had already spent the rest of the morning cleaning everything in sight, from the bedroom to the living room. You had also tossed out a few DVDs on the coffee table, and set up the Playstation in case you guys decided to use it. You were awoken from your thoughts by the sound of your phone beeping. Another message from Mark, which read; 

Hey! Sorry I know it’s a bit early, but would you mind if I head over now? Ryan and Matt went to the pier so it’s awfully lonely over here :p

You grinned before replying, sure thing! Come on over :)   
Immediately, Mark replied with a smiley face. You smiled before slipping your phone into your pocket and walking towards the living room. It was only a few minutes before Mark arrived, sporting a similar outfit to yours; his comfy sweatpants, and red flannel shirt. He grinned before saying, “I see we both decided to have a lazy day, then?” You laughed, nodding. “Hey! I like to be comfortable when I kick my friend’s asses!” Mark crossed his arms, “is that a challenge?”   
You hesitated before shoving him playfully. “Come on, let’s go to the living room. I’ve already got everything set up!” You both walked into the living room, flopping onto the couch and deciding to play a bit of Medal of Honor. You spent a good hour or two fighting one on one death matches before Mark turned to you suddenly.   
“McKenzie, I’m having an awesome time.” Your heart froze when you heard him say your name. Shaking yourself from your trance, you smiled. “I’m glad. Me too!” Mark smiled, brushing some of his red floof out of his face. It was quiet for a few moments before he took a breath to speak.   
“You know, I was just wondering...when you told me why you moved out here, you said you were really worried about it. Was there...something else, that was bothering you?” Your eyes widened for a split second, your breath catching in your throat. Even HE could see right through me, you thought to yourself. You bit your lip thoughtfully, slipping your hands into the front pocket of your sweatshirt.   
“Well, this isn’t something I usually tell people...especially someone I just met...but it sort of feels like I’ve known you forever anyways so here goes…” Mark nodded, urging you onward. You took a deep breath before continuing. “I have an anxiety disorder. Well, multiple disorders really. I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember. I’ve had panic attacks, I hate crowds, I can’t stand waiting in long lines...hell there was one time I ran out of a fucking grocery store because I couldn’t stand to be around that many people. I spent lots of time in counseling and I even take meds for it but...to this day I still have this fear lingering. Certain situations trigger me so I can’t control myself and I just cry so hard I can’t breathe. In my early highschool years I actually tried self harm, and I lost all of my friends and my dog was put down in the same year. I was in such a dark place, combined with the fact that I had been emotionally abused for all of my life...it fucked me up real good.” You could feel them, the hot, fresh tears running down your face. You wiped them away angrily, “look at me I’m a fucking mess! Oh jesus I’m so sorry...I..” But you stopped short. The next thing you knew, Mark had curled his arms around you, cradling you against his chest.   
“I’m...I’m so sorry, McKenzie. I didn’t realize it was something so serious that was troubling you.” You were still in shock from the fact that Mark was hugging you, so you just wrapped your arms around his neck and placed your head in the space between his neck and shoulder. You breathed deeply in an effort to calm down, taking in the faint smell of dog and cologne. It was wonderful. You two stayed like that for a while before you leaned back with a smile.   
“Hey Mark?” You asked.   
“Hmm?” He replied, pushing his glasses further up his nose.   
“...Thank you.” You responded, smiling at him and shyly brushing a strand of hair behind your ear. He smiled in reply before reaching over to grab his controller again.   
“What do you say we play some Mario Kart?” You nodded enthusiastically, “okay, but only if I get to play as Rosalina!” Mark stuck out his bottom lip.  
“Aww, but I like playing as her...she has such a nice ass…” You shoved him playfully and he grinned back as you two spent the next several hours gaming together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think so far :D


	4. Sleepless Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Mark are both having a hard time getting to sleep.

The carpet under you felt rough as you clawed the ground, gasping for air. The room was spinning, so disorienting that you couldn’t tell which way was up or down. The lack of oxygen flowing to your brain made your head ache, and your lungs tightened as if someone had lashed them together with rope. Tears and saliva mixed together, and you vaguely remember your dad yelling angrily, telling you to stop overreacting. Between painful gasps, you screamed, trying to tell him “that’s not possible. You don’t understand.” All other processes in your brain had shut down, leaving nothing but sheer terror. For a split second, you wondered why- why were you so upset? Why were you like this? Why did you have to break down in front of your parents? 

These memories were the ones keeping you from sleeping soundly. Talking to Mark about your past was...painful, to say the least. You usually don’t like making yourself vulnerable, so you repress these thoughts in order to keep yourself from reverting back to your depressed state. You had enough experience with mental disorders to last a lifetime...most of which you wanted to forget about entirely. The only things that kept you sane all of these years, was music, and your best friend with whom you’d moved across country with. Sighing, you slid on your headphones, putting on a song by Blink-182 called “Stay Together for the Kids.” It was all about kids living in broken homes where the parents fought constantly, eventually ending in divorce. It reminded you of that same night, when your father threatened to leave the house because he thought he was poisonous to the family. Eventually, warm tears spilled onto your cheeks, sliding down and soaking your pillow. 

As if out of habit, you opened your phone, looking to see if you had any new messages. A red dot pointed to an unread text, which you opened with held breath as you read the name it was sent from; MARK.   
‘Hey. Are you awake?’   
Smiling, you typed back.   
‘Unfortunately. I’ve got a lot on my mind.’  
You hit send, anxiously awaiting his response. Almost immediately, he responded.   
‘Anything you wanna talk about? You know I’m here for you :)’   
Your breath hitched in your throat, happiness blooming in your chest. He cares? About YOU? You typed quickly, but thoughtfully.   
‘Not right now. Maybe some other time.Why are you up so late?’   
‘Same thing, just stuff on my mind. Video editing and all that…’   
‘If you need a break you should take a day to relax. Play with Chica, watch netflix or something! :)’   
‘Nah it’s not that big of a deal. But if you’re inviting me to watch netflix I won’t turn down the offer ;)’  
You laughed, a slight blush spreading across your face.   
‘If you want to, sure! Elsie’s boyfriend Jimmy is planning on visiting us in a few days. I could always use an escape from THAT xD’   
‘That’s understandable xP’   
The two of you stopped messaging for a few minutes, and you lay awake staring at the ceiling. Emotions stirred in the pit of your stomach, causing you to feel slightly dizzy.   
‘No’ you thought to yourself, ‘do NOT start thinking of Mark like that. It only ends in disappointment.’ Countless times you had developed crushes on guys who rejected you, so how was Mark any different? It’s best to stay just friends, you told yourself. But that nagging tug in your heart refused to go away. Picking your phone up again, you typed out another message to Mark;   
‘I know it’s late but I don’t think I’m ever gonna get to sleep...do you want to hang out? Watch a movie?’ It was a long shot, but you were desperate for something to do. Your brain refused to shutup, so you figured why not at least relax a bit? Your phone vibrated in response, Mark’s name popping up on the screen.   
‘yeah sure! If anything maybe we can watch a super boring movie and that’ll put us both right out! ;D in fact, I think I’ve got just the movie...be here in ten?’ You bit your lip before replying, ‘sure thing! :)’ You were a bit nervous about spending time in Mark’s apartment, but there was only so much to do in your new apartment. Quickly, you threw on a pair of loose shorts, your favorite overwatch shirt, and a pair of flipflops. You slid on a black hoodie, putting your phone and keys in the front pocket. You tried your best to climb the stairs to the next floor as quietly as possible, opening the stairwell door to the hallway.   
Which apartment number did Mark say he lived in? You thought to yourself, before walking up to #112 and knocking on the door. A disheveled Mark opened the door, wearing grey sweatpants, a blue t shirt, and his hair going in all kinds of different directions. His eyes lit up when he saw you standing at the door.   
“Hey, McKenzie! Come on in!” He grinned, motioning for you to enter his humble abode. You smiled broadly before stepping in, leaving your shoes near the door. You looked around in amazement at how fancy everything seemed in comparison to your own apartment. Soft light made the room glow, a living room area in one portion of the space and a kitchen area off to the side. A staircase led up to the second floor, where you presumed there were bedrooms and such. Mark gestured to the couch before saying, “I already set everything up if you want to make yourself comfortable.” You nodded and walked over to the living room area, smiling at all of the supplies Mark had laid out. There was a big bowl of popcorn, some bottles of water, and a mountain of blankets and pillows.   
“You sure are well-prepared, aren’t you?” You laughed, gesturing at his elaborate setup. He grinned, shrugging slightly. “What can I say? I want my guests to be comfortable!” You laughed before moving to sit down. You hesitated slightly, a thought crossing your mind. Grinning, you grabbed one of the biggest blankets and turned to Mark.   
“You know what? We should totally build a pillow fort!” Mark laughed, “geeze it’s been so long since I’ve built one. My fort making skills may be lacking!” You laughed before tossing him a pillow. Before long, the living room was a giant mass of blankets and stuffing. One side was open so you could see the television, but the rest was a very cozy enclosed space. You grabbed the popcorn and water, laying on your stomach with your chin propped on your hands. Mark looked at you, tweaking an eyebrow. You patted the floor next to you, motioning for him to join you. He bit his lip slightly before laying on the floor next to you. You could feel the heat from his body radiating into the space, making your pillow fort even more cozy. You had an extra pillow to put your head on, but suddenly realized something was missing. As if on cue, Mark gently slid a blanket over your shoulders, his hands lingering on your arm for a second before he drew back. You smiled before motioning towards the remote.   
“So, what movie are we watching anyways?” Mark grinned, trying not to laugh.   
“The Social Network.” You grimaced, mock horror lining your features.   
“Well, I guess the point is to fall asleep” you laughed, reaching into the bowl of popcorn. Mark hit play on the television, and the opening scenes began playing. Every now and then you’d pick a few pieces of popcorn from the bowl, munching happily. Suddenly, your hand brushed something warm, and you drew back quickly. A slight blush danced across your cheeks when you realized it was Mark. He glanced at you, trying in vain to hide the grin forming on his face. You continued watching the film, feeling your eyelids already growing heavy with sleep. By now it was almost 3AM, and you definitely felt tired. The last thing you remembered before giving in to sleep was feeling a warm hand gently move across your back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update! With the beginning of a new college semester comes less time to spend writing :( let me know what you think so far <3

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own overwatch, doctor who, the TARDIS, adventure time, pokemon, portal, spirithoods, gorillaz, my neighbor totoro, fb/twitter, playstation, kodaline, markiplier, game grumps, etc etc...like I said, everything is based off my actual life, so it's all more or less accurate. xD


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